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Latest from WBEZ Chicago Public RadioenInvestigation reveals scary details behind near misses at O'Harehttp://www.wbez.org/blogs/marcus-gilmer/2012-09/investigation-reveals-scary-details-behind-near-misses-ohare-102637
<p><p><img alt="" class="image-original_image" src="http://www.wbez.org/system/files/styles/original_image/llo/insert-images/AP080826018360.jpg" title="The crowded space at O'Hare (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)" /></p><p><strong>Lead Story:</strong> New testimony just released by federal investigators shows that <a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/30/cargo-jet-clips-commuter-plane-at-ohare/">close calls at O&#39;Hare</a> were much closer &mdash; and more extreme &mdash; than originally thought. The <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-misses-chicago-airport-released-17314740">investigation highlights two cases</a> of barely averted mid-air collisions involving planes taking off at the airport<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444083304578016692088010794.html?mod=e2tw">&nbsp;in May and August of 2011</a>. The report, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, doesn&rsquo;t place direct blame on any one party, but it does reveal some huge flaws in O&#39;Hare&#39;s layout.&nbsp;In both cases the FAA credits quick thinking by pilots for averting disaster. Scarily, the Chicago airport <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/business/runway-safety-remains-a-concern-for-airports.html?_r=0">isn&rsquo;t alone</a>&nbsp;in facing issues&nbsp;of runway safety, in part because many major airports don&#39;t have room to expand. And thus my love affair with Amtrak is rekindled.</p><p><strong>Also: </strong>Thirty years after <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1878063,00.html">the Tylenol murders</a> held Chicago &mdash; and the nation &mdash; captive, the case is getting a fresh look. A task force <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=8823562">continues to focus on James Lewis</a>; he was&nbsp;convicted for extorting Johnson &amp; Johnson over the cyanide-laced pills but was never charged for any of the seven murders. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/15361651-761/grand-jury-possible-in-tylenol-killings-30-years-later.html">the <em>Sun-Times</em> reports</a> that a new grand jury could be convened based on new evidence, including testimony from potential witnesses. Much of the physical evidence is circumstancial, though, and not it&#39;s up to state prosecutors to decide whether or not to go forward with the case. Check out <a href="http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2012/The-Chicago-Tylenol-Murders-An-Oral-History/"><em>Chicago Magazine&#39;s</em> stellar oral history</a>&nbsp;for more on the case and its 30th anniversary.</p><p><strong>And then: </strong>If you missed it yesterday, please take some time today to explore <a href="http://www.wbez.org/programs/afternoon-shift/2012-09-24/chicago-gangs-abound-where-are-they-102612">the map&nbsp;of Chicago&#39;s ever-shifting gang territories</a> put together by WBEZ&#39;s own Elliott Ramos. It&rsquo;s a fascinating look at one of the greatest factors in the city&rsquo;s ongoing rash of violence. Take special note of the sidebar that provides previous years&rsquo; territory maps so you can see how these shifting boundaries have contributed to gang warfare, particularly on the South and West Sides.</p><p><strong>RIP: </strong>Another atrocious game of bad calls by the NFL&#39;s replacement referees&nbsp;<a href="http://deadspin.com/5946101/what-in-the-world-just-happened-at-the-end-of-monday-night-football?tag=feckless-in-seattle">cost the Green Bay Packers</a>&nbsp;a win over the Seattle Seahawks Monday night.&nbsp;A last-second Hail Mary by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson resulted in an endzone scrum for the ball; a Green Bay defender appeared to intercept the ball, which would have clinched victory for the Packers. But the replacement refs instead gave a tie-goes-to-the-offense ruling to Seattle, giving them a miraculous win. The tie call is the right one &mdash; provided both players catch the ball simultaneously. But as video evidence shows, <a href="http://deadspin.com/5946115/this-was-not-a-simultaneous-catch?tag=feckless-in-seattle">that&rsquo;s not what happened</a>. Not only have the replacement refs now cost a team a game, they&rsquo;ve also jeopardized player safety by not reinforcing penalties for vicious hits and illegal blocks (just ask <a href="http://www.complex.com/sports/2012/09/video-tony-romo-almost-died-after-this-hit-by-michael-bennett">Tony Romo</a> and <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21615261/darrius-heyward-bey-taken-hospital-after-hit-head">Darrius Heyward-Bey</a>). So much for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell&rsquo;s crusade for player safety that spurred his over-zealous &ldquo;bounty&rdquo; punishments of the Saints.&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/BuzzFeedAndrew/status/250454875069108225/photo/1/large">This photo</a> of two replacement refs making opposite calls in last night&rsquo;s game side by side&nbsp;will forever represent this dark period in NFL history.</p><p><br /><strong>Elsewhere</strong></p><ul><li>Things are getting pretty grim <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/world/europe/hunger-on-the-rise-in-spain.html?hpw">with Spain&#39;s economy</a>&nbsp;these days.</li><li>A <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drone-study-20120925,0,5793737.story">new report says</a> that drone strikes in Pakistan have not made the U.S. any safer and instead have killed a lot of innocent civilians.</li><li>A man in Florida was arrested for an alleged carjacking,&nbsp;<a href="http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-24/news/os-carjacker-pregnant-girlfriend-20120924_1_pregnant-girlfriend-oncoming-car-volusia-deputies">which was actually an attempt</a> to get his pregnant girlfriend to a hospital after she went into labor.</li><li>If you&rsquo;re going to be a burglar, be sure to get the proper amount of sleep <a href="http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Deputies-Attempted-burglar-found-asleep-on-floor-3888138.php?dabears">so this</a> doesn&rsquo;t happen.</li><li>Bad news for Netflix subscribers who love <em>Hoarders</em>: <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/netflix-stops-the-cycle-of-human-misery-by-droppin,85317/">The service is dropping</a> shows carried by A&amp;E and The History Channel.</li></ul><p><br /><strong>Looking Ahead:</strong></p><ul><li>A controversial pro-Israel ad that recently went up in New York City subway stations <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&amp;id=8823238">could head to Chicago next</a>.</li><li>Mayor Rahm Emanuel <a href="http://www.wbez.org/news/emanuel-administration-speaks-out-electric-bill-fee-more-cops-102625">is taking a stand against</a> one alderman&rsquo;s proposed plan to tack on an extra fee to energy bills to help pay for more police officers.</li><li>A local high school basketball coach fired for writing a graphic self-help book <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/15354894-761/fired-coach-who-wrote-racy-sex-book-sues-district-for-1-million.html">is now suing</a> the school district that fired him.</li><li>The CSO musicians strike <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-chicago-symphony-orchestra-contract-talks-resume-monday-20120924,0,3929004.story">has come to a pretty quick resolution</a> because that&rsquo;s how Mozart would have wanted it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Authorities in Evanston <a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/25/desperate-search-underway-for-missing-northwestern-student/">continue to search for a Northwestern student</a> who&rsquo;s been missing since leaving a party on Saturday night.</li></ul><p><br /><strong>Sports</strong></p><ul><li>Sox Watch: The Sox remain a game up on the Tigers <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_09_24_clemlb_chamlb_1&amp;mode=gameday&amp;c_id=cws">after a thrilling victory over Cleveland</a> powered by a pair of Adam Dunn homers. It was just a shame less than half the stadium was full to see it.</li><li>The European Ryder Cup team <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/golf--colin-montgomerie-fears-raucous-american-crowd-could-mar-ryder-cup.html">is wary of a &ldquo;raucous&rdquo; American crowd</a>&nbsp;that may be present when the tourney gets under way here later this week.</li><li>Bears head coach Lovie Smith is hopeful that <a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/8419660/chicago-bears-lovie-smith-hopeful-matt-forte-play-vs-dallas-cowboys">Matt Forte will be back</a> in the Bears&rsquo; starting lineup next Monday night against Dallas.</li><li>Don&rsquo;t hold your breath for <a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/story/_/id/8420752/nhl-deputy-commissioner-bill-daly-hoping-labor-talks-resume-week">that NHL lockout</a> to be resolved any time soon.</li><li>An <a href="http://deadspin.com/5945741/you-built-that-how-mitt-romney-shook-down-american-taxpayers-for-his-welfare-olympics">interesting take on Mitt Romney</a> and those Olympics he touted so much.</li></ul><p><br /><strong>Finally</strong></p><p>PBS&rsquo; <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PBSoffbook">Off Book</a></em> has posted some terrific videos over the last year. This newest one on the art of web design is no exception.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3iVVM_DgWY4" width="560"></iframe></p></p>Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:05:00 -0500http://www.wbez.org/blogs/marcus-gilmer/2012-09/investigation-reveals-scary-details-behind-near-misses-ohare-102637